Swinging seat



Dec. 25, 1928. w

. O.- L. LETHANDER SWINGING SEAT Filed Sept. 29, 1927 Patented Dec. 25, 1928.

UNITED STATES OSCAR L. IIETHANDER,

OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

SWINGING SEAT.

Application lied September 29, 1927. Serial No. 222,727.

My invention relates to swinging seats such as are used as desk chairs, type-writer chairs, and the like.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide a seat of thetype indicated above with means for so controlling the swinging movement of the seat as. to prevent marl-ing of an adjacent table ordesk which might otherwise occur through some portion of the seatbumping into the table in its swinging movement.

A further object is to provide means for so controlling the-positioning of the seat that when the occupant of the seat leaves he is,

practically constrained to leave the seat in a definite manner and leave the seat in a definite position, this latter feature being of particular advantage in a class-room where it is desirable to have the seats left in orderly position,

A further object is to1 provide a swinging seat of the, character indicated, with stop means for limiting the movement of the seat which will permit the seat to be used either on the right hand or the left hand side of the pivotal mounting. I

Further objects will appear from the description and claims. I

In the drawings inwhich an embodiment an of my invention is shown, 7

Figure 1 is a plan view of a swinging desk chair showing in full lines the position of the chair when in use, in one dotted line position the chair pushed under the table, and

in another dotted line position the chair moved to a position to permit the occupant to leave the table;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the construction shown in Fig. l; and

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 33 of Fig. 2.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, the construction shown therein comprises a table which may be a laboratory table or desk, a hinged bracket secured to the leg 1 of the table, a swinging arm 2 pivotally connected with the bracket 2, a spider 3 pivotally mounted on the outer end of the swinging arm 2, and a chair or seat 4 secured to the spider. The swinging arm may be provided with a downwardly extending leg 5 having a roller 6 at its lower end which'rests on the floor to take the weight of the chair and its occupant oil the swinging arm and bracket. The swinging arm 2 is pivotally secured to the bracket 2 by means of a pin 7 which extends through registering openings in the ears 8 on the bracket, and the ear-s 9 on the arm. ,In order to limit the swinging movement of the arm in both directions the bracket is provided with integral stop members, the stop member 10 limiting the inward movement of the arm, and the stop member 11 limiting the outward movement of the arm by engagementtherewith. f i

In order to limit the swinging movement of the spider and the seat carriedthereby with respect to the swinging arm, each arm of the spider is provided withv a downwardly extending stop member, these stop members 12, 13, 14 and 15 being positioned for engagement with the upper edge of the swinging arm 2. The stop members 12 and 13. cooperate with the swinging arm when the arm is mounted as shown, to bring the seat to. the right hand side of the pivotal, mounting, but the stop members 14 and 15 would be used if the arm were mounted so as to bring the chair to the left hand side of the pivotal mounting of the arm. This change from one pair of stops to the other can easily be effected by simply lifting the chair up, raising the pivot pin 16 in the socket portion 17 of: the swing ing arm high enough to permit the stop members to swing clear above the upperedge of the swinging arm so as to bring any desired pair of stop lugs into position to straddle the upper edge of the swinging arm.

The chair member 4 is so positioned on the spider 3 that when the swinging arm is swung to itsextreme inward position shown in dotted lines in Fig. l, and thespider is swung clockwise as viewed in Fig. 1, asfar as possible, bringing the stop lug 13 into engagement with the swinging arm, the left hand edge 18 of the chair back will be prevented from striking the table top. The right hand edge 19 of the chair back is prevented from striking the table top by means of a suitable cushion or bumper member 20 which is located at the level of the table top so as to strike it when the swinging arm is swung inwardly. In leaving the seat the occupant is practically constrained to leave it in the outward position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, as the stop 13 prevents the chair from being swung any further clockwise than shown in this dotted line position and as it is natural for the occupant to try to move the chair'to a position in which the chair back will be out of his way in leaving the table.

If it is desired to make the chair occupy a position opposite to that shown, that is to say,

with the chair swinging to the left rather than to the right of the pivotal mounting, the mounting bracket 2 would be secured to a different corner of the table leg and the spider would be shifted with respect to the swinging arm to bring the stop lugs 14 and 15 into position to straddle the upper edge of the swing- Ving arm which would result in a reversal of the arrangement of the chair with respect to the swinging arm and table. 7

It will be seen that I have thus provided a construction which will so control the swinging movement of the chair as to prevent mar ring of the table which might otherwise he occasioned by the chair back lnunping into the edge of the table, and furthermore that the movement of the chair is so controlled that the occupant is practically constrained to leave the chair in a definite position with respect to the table, which in a set 0'! laboratory desk chairs is particularly desirable as it causes the series of chairs to be left in an orderly arrangement.

In the claims where I have used the word table it is to be understood as covering broadly any elevated supporting surface such as a tabletop, desktop, or the like.

While Ihave described but one embodiment of my invention, it is obvious that many modifications therein may occur to those skilled in the art and I desire, therefore, that my invention be limited by the scope of the appended claims and by the prior art.

I claim:

1. The combination with a table top, of a horizontally swinging arm pivotally mounted adjacent said table top, a spider pivotally mounted on the swinging end of said arm for horizontal swinging movement with respect to said arm and a seat mounted on said spider, said spider having'a plurality of arms, one of which is provided with a stop for engaging the swinging arm to limit the swinging'movement of the seat with respect to the swinging arm.

2. The combination with a table, of a horizontally swinging arm pivotall} mounted adjacent said table, a spider pivotally mounted on the swinging end of said arm for horizontal swinging movement with respect to said arm, and a seat mounted on said spider, said spider having a pair of arms, each provided with a stop, said stops being engageable with opposite sides respectively of said swinging arm to limit the swinging movement of the seat with respect to the arm.

3. The combination with a table 0! a horizontally swinging arm pivotally mounted adjacent said table and a seat1'iivota]lymounted on the swinging end of said swinging arm for horizontal swinging movement with re spect to said arm, said seat having a seat portion which swings below the table and a back portion extending upwardly from the seat portion. and means for limiting the swinging movement of said seat with respect to said arm, to prevent the back from striliing the table, comprising a pair of stops engageable with opposite sides respectively of said swinging arms.

4. The combination with a table of a borizontally swinging arm pivotally mounted adarent said table and a seat pivotally mounted on the swinging end of said swinging arm for horizontal swinging movement with respect to said arm, said seat having a seat portion which swings below the table and a back portion extending upwardly from the seat portion, and means for limiting the swinging movement of said seat with respect to said arm, to prevent the back from striking the table, comprising a plurality of alternatively usable sets of stops, one set being usable when the seat is used on the right hand side of the pivotal mounting of the arm, and the other set being usable when the seat is used on the left hand side of the pivotal mounting of the arm. a

In witness whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name.

OSGAR L. LETI-IANDER. 

